1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a two-piece safety mechanism for use with ceiling fans. A first cable attaches to a ceiling fan, and a second cable attaches to a ceiling support. The first and second cables have first and second connectors, respectively, which releaseably attach to form a continuous cable that retains the ceiling fan in close proximity to a ceiling support if the fan's normal mounting apparatus should fail.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional ceiling fan consists of a motor suspended from a ceiling with radially extending fan blades operably associated with the motor. A cylindrical body, or downrod, is secured to the motor on one end. On the opposing end, the downrod includes a hanger ball. The hanger ball is generally secured to a mounting bracket, and the mounting bracket is secured to a support from a ceiling support. Therefore, the downrod, hanger ball, and mounting bracket work in conjunction to hang the fan from the ceiling support. Electrical wiring from the fan is generally attached to an electrical box in the ceiling. It is known in the art that such ceiling mounted fans may be subject to falling for various reasons.
A ceiling fan may fall if it is installed improperly. The mounting bracket must be properly secured to the ceiling support. Furthermore, the support must be capable of holding the fan. If not, the fan may fall, damaging the fan or other property, or even causing personal injury. Even if the ceiling support can hold the weight of the fan, the mounting bracket may fail.
In addition, many fans are manufactured with metric bolts, screws or corresponding threads. However, some electrical boxes, especially those manufactured in the United States, have standard threads. When a metric component is fastened to a standard component, a proper fit is not achieved and the attachment may pull free.
Ceiling fans may also fall if faulty or defective materials are used in the fan components. Many mounting brackets manufactured today are largely composed of zinc. When casting zinc brackets, the zinc must not contain impurities. Impurities in a cast zinc mounting bracket may cause brittleness over time and break. Although zinc brackets today may be cast properly, faulty mounting brackets are always a possibility so long as zinc is used in their manufacture.
In addition, ceiling fans are sometimes unbalanced. An unbalanced fan continuously rocks back and forth. The constant, repetitive rocking motion can loosen electrical or mounting connections, cause metal fatigue, and ultimately cause the fan to fall.
To curb the installation of faulty ceiling fans that are prone to falling, and the installation of poorly secured electrical boxes, the National Electrical Code (NEC) Organization has approved only certain fan and electrical box designs, and mandated that only the approved designs be used on new fan installations. Although this mandate is helpful, it does not entirely prevent the above noted problems. Therefore, there is a need for safety mechanisms that will prevent the fan from falling, and potentially causing personal or property damage.
Various designs in the prior art attempt to solve the above noted problems with ceiling fans, and thereby reduce the possibility that the fan will fall. Some designs require that the mounting bracket be attached to the ceiling support using additional bolts or screws. However, such designs do not allow for easy installation or removal, given additional fasteners must be secured to the ceiling support. Likewise, removal of the fan after it is initially secured is difficult, requiring the removal of the additional fasteners.
Other designs include a single safety cable, which is connected to the fan by one end and to the ceiling support by the opposing end. This design may prevent the fan from falling if the fan mounting should fail, but complicates installation. In order to properly secure a single safety cable to the ceiling support, the fan and mounting bracket must be out of the way. The single cable must first be attached to the fan, and then attached to the ceiling support before the mounting bracket has been secured to the ceiling support (if the mounting bracket is attached beforehand, the single cable may not be properly secured). In the alternative, the single cable could first be attached to the ceiling support. However, the same problems arise. Specifically, the fan would first need to be attached to the mounting bracket, and then the single cable attached to the fan. Thereafter, the fan and mounting bracket would be secured to the ceiling support. Installation of the single safety cable mechanism is therefore inconvenient and difficult.
In addition, many conventional fan designs require partial un-assembly when attaching such a single safety cable mechanism. Thus, installation is further complicated given such un-assembly and subsequent re-assembly would be required when hanging the fan, instead of when the fan is on the floor. Therefore, the single safety cable is not a practical solution. Subsequent removal of the fan, for cleaning, maintenance, replacement, etc., is also complicated when using a single safety cable for similar reasons.
As such, a safety cable mechanism is needed which prevents a ceiling fan from falling, while maintaining simple and efficient installation and subsequent removal procedures. The present invention provides for a two-piece safety mechanism for ceiling mounted fans, which is easy to install and prevents the fan from falling more than a few inches should its normal mounting apparatus fail.